.. _ckeditor-conversions:

================================
CKEditor Conversion System
================================

Complete guide to the upcast/downcast conversion system for transforming between HTML and model representations.

Conversion Architecture
=======================

Three-Layer System
------------------

::

   ┌──────────────────────────────────────┐
   │ Data Layer (Database/API)           │
   │ HTML with data-* attributes          │
   │ <img data-htmlarea-file-uid="123"/>  │
   └────────────┬─────────────────────────┘
                │
                │ Upcast (Load)
                │
   ┌────────────▼─────────────────────────┐
   │ Model Layer (Abstract)               │
   │ typo3image element with attributes   │
   │ { name: 'typo3image', fileUid: 123 } │
   └────────────┬─────────────────────────┘
                │
                │ Downcast (Render)
                │
   ┌────────────▼─────────────────────────┐
   │ View Layer (Editor Display)          │
   │ Visual HTML in contenteditable       │
   │ <img src="..." class="..." />        │
   └──────────────────────────────────────┘

Upcast Conversions
==================

Purpose
-------

**Upcast**: Transforms HTML (from database/API) into model elements when loading content into editor

**When Used**:

- Initial content load into CKEditor
- Paste from clipboard
- Insert HTML programmatically

Image Element Upcast
--------------------

.. code-block:: javascript

   editor.conversion.for('upcast').elementToElement({
       view: {
           name: 'img',
           attributes: ['data-htmlarea-file-uid', 'src']
       },
       model: (viewElement, { writer }) => {
           return writer.createElement('typo3image', {
               fileUid: viewElement.getAttribute('data-htmlarea-file-uid'),
               fileTable: viewElement.getAttribute('data-htmlarea-file-table') || 'sys_file',
               src: viewElement.getAttribute('src'),
               width: viewElement.getAttribute('width') || '',
               height: viewElement.getAttribute('height') || '',
               class: viewElement.getAttribute('class') || '',
               alt: viewElement.getAttribute('alt') || '',
               altOverride: viewElement.getAttribute('data-alt-override') || false,
               title: viewElement.getAttribute('title') || '',
               titleOverride: viewElement.getAttribute('data-title-override') || false,
               enableZoom: viewElement.getAttribute('data-htmlarea-zoom') || false,
           });
       }
   });

Configuration Breakdown
-----------------------

View Matcher
^^^^^^^^^^^^

.. code-block:: javascript

   view: {
       name: 'img',
       attributes: ['data-htmlarea-file-uid', 'src']
   }

**Purpose**: Defines which HTML elements should be converted

**Matching Logic**:

- **Element name**: Must be ``<img>``
- **Required attributes**: Must have both ``data-htmlarea-file-uid`` AND ``src``

**Examples**:

Matched (will be upcasted):

.. code-block:: html

   <img data-htmlarea-file-uid="123" src="/fileadmin/image.jpg" />

Not matched (regular img passthrough):

.. code-block:: html

   <img src="/fileadmin/image.jpg" />  <!-- Missing data-htmlarea-file-uid -->
   <span data-htmlarea-file-uid="123"></span>  <!-- Wrong element -->

Model Creator Function
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

.. code-block:: javascript

   model: (viewElement, { writer }) => {
       return writer.createElement('typo3image', {
           // attributes...
       });
   }

**Parameters**:

- ``viewElement``: The matched ``<img>`` element from HTML
- ``writer``: Model writer for creating elements

**Return**: New model element with extracted attributes

Attribute Extraction
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

.. code-block:: javascript

   fileUid: viewElement.getAttribute('data-htmlarea-file-uid'),

**Pattern**: Extract HTML attribute → map to model attribute

**Mappings**:

===========================  ===================  ========================
HTML Attribute               Model Attribute      Transformation
===========================  ===================  ========================
data-htmlarea-file-uid       fileUid              Direct copy
data-htmlarea-file-table     fileTable            Default: 'sys_file'
src                          src                  Direct copy
width                        width                Default: empty string
height                       height               Default: empty string
class                        class                Default: empty string
alt                          alt                  Default: empty string
data-alt-override            altOverride          Default: false
title                        title                Default: empty string
data-title-override          titleOverride        Default: false
data-htmlarea-zoom           enableZoom           Default: false
===========================  ===================  ========================

Upcast Example Flow
-------------------

**Input HTML**:

.. code-block:: html

   <img
       src="/fileadmin/image.jpg"
       data-htmlarea-file-uid="123"
       data-htmlarea-file-table="sys_file"
       width="800"
       height="600"
       alt="Product photo"
       title="Click to enlarge"
       class="img-fluid"
       data-htmlarea-zoom="true"
   />

**Upcast Process**:

1. CKEditor parser encounters ``<img>`` element
2. Checks if has ``data-htmlarea-file-uid`` and ``src``
3. Calls model creator function
4. Extracts all attributes
5. Creates model element

**Result Model Element**:

.. code-block:: javascript

   {
       name: 'typo3image',
       attributes: {
           fileUid: 123,
           fileTable: 'sys_file',
           src: '/fileadmin/image.jpg',
           width: '800',
           height: '600',
           alt: 'Product photo',
           altOverride: false,
           title: 'Click to enlarge',
           titleOverride: false,
           class: 'img-fluid',
           enableZoom: true
       }
   }

Downcast Conversions
====================

Purpose
-------

**Downcast**: Transforms model elements into HTML for editor display and data saving

**Two Pipelines**:

1. **Editing Downcast**: Render in contenteditable (editor view)
2. **Data Downcast**: Serialize for database storage

Image Element Downcast
----------------------

.. code-block:: javascript

   editor.conversion.for('downcast').elementToElement({
       model: {
           name: 'typo3image',
           attributes: ['fileUid', 'fileTable', 'src']
       },
       view: (modelElement, { writer }) => {
           const attributes = {
               'src': modelElement.getAttribute('src'),
               'data-htmlarea-file-uid': modelElement.getAttribute('fileUid'),
               'data-htmlarea-file-table': modelElement.getAttribute('fileTable'),
               'width': modelElement.getAttribute('width'),
               'height': modelElement.getAttribute('height'),
               'class': modelElement.getAttribute('class') || '',
               'title': modelElement.getAttribute('title') || '',
               'alt': modelElement.getAttribute('alt') || '',
           };

           if (modelElement.getAttribute('titleOverride')) {
               attributes['data-title-override'] = true;
           }
           if (modelElement.getAttribute('altOverride')) {
               attributes['data-alt-override'] = true;
           }
           if (modelElement.getAttribute('enableZoom')) {
               attributes['data-htmlarea-zoom'] = true;
           }

           return writer.createEmptyElement('img', attributes);
       },
   });

Configuration Breakdown
-----------------------

Model Matcher
^^^^^^^^^^^^^

.. code-block:: javascript

   model: {
       name: 'typo3image',
       attributes: ['fileUid', 'fileTable', 'src']
   }

**Purpose**: Defines which model elements trigger this conversion

**Matching**:

- Element name is ``typo3image``
- Has ``fileUid``, ``fileTable``, ``src`` attributes (required for meaningful output)

View Creator Function
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

.. code-block:: javascript

   view: (modelElement, { writer }) => {
       return writer.createEmptyElement('img', attributes);
   }

**Parameters**:

- ``modelElement``: The typo3image model element
- ``writer``: View writer for creating elements

**Return**: New view element (``<img>``)

Attribute Mapping
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

.. code-block:: javascript

   const attributes = {
       'src': modelElement.getAttribute('src'),
       'data-htmlarea-file-uid': modelElement.getAttribute('fileUid'),
       // ...
   };

**Pattern**: Read model attribute → map to HTML attribute

**Reverse Mappings**:

===================  ===========================  ========================
Model Attribute      HTML Attribute               Transformation
===================  ===========================  ========================
src                  src                          Direct copy
fileUid              data-htmlarea-file-uid       Direct copy
fileTable            data-htmlarea-file-table     Direct copy
width                width                        Direct copy
height               height                       Direct copy
class                class                        Default: empty string
alt                  alt                          Default: empty string
title                title                        Default: empty string
altOverride          data-alt-override            Only if true
titleOverride        data-title-override          Only if true
enableZoom           data-htmlarea-zoom           Only if true
===================  ===========================  ========================

Conditional Attributes
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

.. code-block:: javascript

   if (modelElement.getAttribute('titleOverride')) {
       attributes['data-title-override'] = true;
   }

**Pattern**: Only add boolean attributes when true

**Why**: Cleaner HTML output, avoid unnecessary attributes

**Result**:

.. code-block:: html

   <!-- When titleOverride = true -->
   <img ... data-title-override="true" />

   <!-- When titleOverride = false or absent -->
   <img ... />  <!-- No data-title-override attribute -->

Downcast Example Flow
---------------------

**Input Model Element**:

.. code-block:: javascript

   {
       name: 'typo3image',
       attributes: {
           fileUid: 123,
           fileTable: 'sys_file',
           src: '/fileadmin/image.jpg',
           width: '800',
           height: '600',
           alt: 'Product photo',
           altOverride: true,
           class: 'img-fluid',
           enableZoom: true
       }
   }

**Downcast Process**:

1. CKEditor needs to render model element
2. Finds typo3image → elementToElement converter
3. Calls view creator function
4. Maps all attributes
5. Adds conditional attributes
6. Creates view element

**Result HTML**:

.. code-block:: html

   <img
       src="/fileadmin/image.jpg"
       data-htmlarea-file-uid="123"
       data-htmlarea-file-table="sys_file"
       width="800"
       height="600"
       alt="Product photo"
       data-alt-override="true"
       class="img-fluid"
       data-htmlarea-zoom="true"
   />

Attribute Converters
====================

Class Attribute Converter
--------------------------

.. code-block:: javascript

   editor.conversion.for('downcast').attributeToAttribute({
       model: { name: 'typo3image', key: 'class' },
       view: 'class'
   });

**Purpose**: Immediately sync class attribute changes to view

.. note::
   The elementToElement converter only runs on element creation. This converter handles attribute updates.

**Behavior**:

.. code-block:: javascript

   // User changes class via style system
   editor.model.change(writer => {
       writer.setAttribute('class', 'float-left mr-3', modelElement);
   });

   // Immediately reflected in view
   <img class="float-left mr-3" ... />

Custom Attribute Converters
----------------------------

You can add converters for any attribute:

.. code-block:: javascript

   // Width changes immediately visible
   editor.conversion.for('downcast').attributeToAttribute({
       model: { name: 'typo3image', key: 'width' },
       view: 'width'
   });

   // Alt changes immediately visible
   editor.conversion.for('downcast').attributeToAttribute({
       model: { name: 'typo3image', key: 'alt' },
       view: 'alt'
   });

Data Pipeline
=============

Complete Load → Edit → Save Flow
---------------------------------

::

   1. Load from Database
      ─────────────────────►
      HTML String
      <img data-htmlarea-file-uid="123" src="..." />

   2. Upcast (HTML → Model)
      ─────────────────────►
      Model Element
      typo3image { fileUid: 123, src: "..." }

   3. Edit in Editor
      ─────────────────────►
      Model Changes
      width: "800" → "1200"
      class: "" → "float-left"

   4. Downcast (Model → View)
      ─────────────────────►
      View Updates
      <img width="1200" class="float-left" ... />

   5. Save to Database
      ─────────────────────►
      Data Downcast → HTML String
      <img data-htmlarea-file-uid="123" width="1200" class="float-left" ... />

   6. Backend Processing
      ─────────────────────►
      RteImagesDbHook processes HTML
      Magic image processing, URL updates

Paste Handling
==============

Paste from External Source
---------------------------

When pasting HTML from external sources (websites, Word, etc.)::

   1. Browser Paste Event
      ─────────────────────►
      External HTML
      <img src="https://example.com/image.jpg" />

   2. Upcast Attempted
      ─────────────────────►
      Check: data-htmlarea-file-uid present? ❌
      Result: Upcast skipped, treated as regular <img>

   3. Fallback Handling
      ─────────────────────►
      CKEditor default image handling
      May need custom paste processor for external images

Paste from Same Editor
----------------------

::

   1. Copy typo3image
      ─────────────────────►
      Clipboard contains model element

   2. Paste
      ─────────────────────►
      Direct model copy (no conversion needed)

   3. Result
      ─────────────────────►
      Duplicate typo3image with same attributes

Custom Conversion Patterns
===========================

Pattern 1: Transformation During Upcast
----------------------------------------

.. code-block:: javascript

   editor.conversion.for('upcast').elementToElement({
       view: {
           name: 'img',
           attributes: ['data-htmlarea-file-uid']
       },
       model: (viewElement, { writer }) => {
           // Transform srcset to src
           const src = viewElement.getAttribute('src') ||
                       viewElement.getAttribute('srcset')?.split(',')[0];

           // Parse dimensions from style
           const style = viewElement.getAttribute('style') || '';
           const widthMatch = style.match(/width:\s*(\d+)px/);
           const heightMatch = style.match(/height:\s*(\d+)px/);

           return writer.createElement('typo3image', {
               src: src,
               width: widthMatch ? widthMatch[1] : '',
               height: heightMatch ? heightMatch[1] : '',
               // ... other attributes
           });
       }
   });

Pattern 2: Conditional Downcast
--------------------------------

.. code-block:: javascript

   editor.conversion.for('downcast').elementToElement({
       model: 'typo3image',
       view: (modelElement, { writer }) => {
           // Different output based on context
           const width = parseInt(modelElement.getAttribute('width'), 10);

           // Large images get responsive class
           if (width > 1200) {
               attributes['class'] = (attributes['class'] || '') + ' img-responsive';
           }

           return writer.createEmptyElement('img', attributes);
       }
   });

Pattern 3: Multi-Element Conversion
------------------------------------

.. code-block:: javascript

   // Convert linked image to nested structure
   editor.conversion.for('downcast').elementToStructure({
       model: 'typo3image',
       view: (modelElement, { writer }) => {
           const linkHref = modelElement.getAttribute('linkHref');

           if (linkHref) {
               // Create nested structure: <a><img/></a>
               const img = writer.createEmptyElement('img', imgAttributes);
               const link = writer.createContainerElement('a', { href: linkHref });
               writer.insert(writer.createPositionAt(link, 0), img);
               return link;
           } else {
               // Just image
               return writer.createEmptyElement('img', imgAttributes);
           }
       }
   });

Debugging Conversions
======================

Logging Upcast
--------------

.. code-block:: javascript

   editor.conversion.for('upcast').elementToElement({
       view: { name: 'img', attributes: ['data-htmlarea-file-uid'] },
       model: (viewElement, { writer }) => {
           console.log('Upcasting image:', {
               src: viewElement.getAttribute('src'),
               fileUid: viewElement.getAttribute('data-htmlarea-file-uid'),
               allAttributes: Array.from(viewElement.getAttributes())
           });

           return writer.createElement('typo3image', {
               // ... attributes
           });
       }
   });

Logging Downcast
----------------

.. code-block:: javascript

   editor.conversion.for('downcast').elementToElement({
       model: 'typo3image',
       view: (modelElement, { writer }) => {
           console.log('Downcasting typo3image:', {
               fileUid: modelElement.getAttribute('fileUid'),
               src: modelElement.getAttribute('src'),
               allAttributes: Array.from(modelElement.getAttributes())
           });

           return writer.createEmptyElement('img', attributes);
       }
   });

Inspecting Conversion Results
------------------------------

.. code-block:: javascript

   // After loading content
   editor.model.change(() => {
       const root = editor.model.document.getRoot();
       for (const item of root.getChildren()) {
           if (item.name === 'typo3image') {
               console.log('Found typo3image:', {
                   fileUid: item.getAttribute('fileUid'),
                   src: item.getAttribute('src')
               });
           }
       }
   });

Common Issues
=============

Issue: Images Not Converting on Load
-------------------------------------

**Symptoms**:

- HTML loaded but no typo3image elements in model
- Images appear as plain text or broken

**Causes**:

1. Missing ``data-htmlarea-file-uid`` attribute
2. Upcast converter not registered
3. View matcher too restrictive

**Solutions**:

Verify HTML has required attributes:

.. code-block:: html

   <!-- Will convert -->
   <img data-htmlarea-file-uid="123" src="..." />

   <!-- Won't convert (missing required attribute) -->
   <img src="..." />

Check converter registration:

.. code-block:: javascript

   // Verify in browser console
   console.log(editor.conversion);
   // Should show upcast/downcast converters

Issue: Attributes Lost During Conversion
-----------------------------------------

**Symptoms**:

- Attributes present in HTML/model
- Missing in view/output

**Causes**:

1. Attribute not in schema ``allowAttributes`` list
2. Attribute not mapped in conversion
3. Conditional logic skipping attribute

**Solutions**:

Verify schema allows attribute:

.. code-block:: javascript

   allowAttributes: [
       'src', 'fileUid', /* add missing attribute here */
   ]

Add to conversion:

.. code-block:: javascript

   // In upcast
   myCustomAttribute: viewElement.getAttribute('data-custom'),

   // In downcast
   'data-custom': modelElement.getAttribute('myCustomAttribute'),

Issue: View Not Updating When Model Changes
--------------------------------------------

**Symptoms**:

- Model attribute updated
- View doesn't reflect change
- Need to reload to see changes

**Cause**: Missing attribute converter for immediate sync

**Solution**:

Add attribute converter:

.. code-block:: javascript

   editor.conversion.for('downcast').attributeToAttribute({
       model: { name: 'typo3image', key: 'myAttribute' },
       view: 'data-my-attribute'
   });

Performance Optimization
========================

Batch Conversions
-----------------

.. code-block:: javascript

   // Inefficient: Convert one at a time
   images.forEach(img => {
       editor.model.change(writer => {
           writer.setAttribute('class', 'processed', img);
       });
   });

   // Efficient: Single model change batch
   editor.model.change(writer => {
       images.forEach(img => {
           writer.setAttribute('class', 'processed', img);
       });
   });

Lazy Attribute Reading
-----------------------

.. code-block:: javascript

   // Inefficient: Read all attributes upfront
   const allAttrs = {
       src: viewElement.getAttribute('src'),
       width: viewElement.getAttribute('width'),
       height: viewElement.getAttribute('height'),
       // ... 20 more attributes
   };

   // Efficient: Read only needed attributes
   const src = viewElement.getAttribute('src');
   const fileUid = viewElement.getAttribute('data-htmlarea-file-uid');

Related Documentation
=====================

- :ref:`ckeditor-plugin-development-guide`
- :ref:`ckeditor-model-element`
- :ref:`ckeditor-style-integration`
- :ref:`architecture-overview`
- :ref:`api-datahandling`